


The Detention King of Avalon High

by Magnolia822



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Coming Out, Frottage, M/M, Underage Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-05-30
Updated: 2012-05-30
Packaged: 2017-11-06 07:36:22
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 15,677
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/416347
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Magnolia822/pseuds/Magnolia822
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There’s a new kid at school, and he’s not Merlin Emrys’ type at all—until he turns out to be much more than Merlin ever expected. American HS AU.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Detention King of Avalon High

**Author's Note:**

> This prompt (“they meet in detention . . .”) sparked a lot of ideas! Hope it’s along the lines of what the OP was hoping for. Thank you so much to my betas ArcadianMaggie and AsyaAna.
> 
> The characters depicted herein belong to Shine and BBC. I make no profit from this endeavor.

 

“Do you know why you’re here, Mr. Emrys?” The principal leaned forward on his desk, steepling his fingers, the look on his face so serious Merlin almost laughed. But laughing would earn him more detention, and he already had enough to look forward to for what he’d done today.

“Yeah. Listening to music in class.”

“Your teacher tells me you were singing.”

Merlin shrugged. “Only a little.” 

Principal Tauren frowned and looked down at the note Merlin’s pre-calc teacher had sent along when she’d kicked him out of class. “Drumming on the desk?”

“Sorry,” Merlin said, but even he knew he sounded completely insincere.

“You’re aware music devices aren’t allowed during class time.”

“Yeah, I know.”

“And yet you persist in conducting yourself in a manner which disregards school policy. Not a very productive start to your senior year.”

Merlin shrugged again, rolled his eyes. “It’s not that big a deal.” He’d only turned on his iPhone after he’d finished the lame in-class busy work, which had taken him all of five minutes. And so what if he’d gotten a little carried away? What did it matter? In fact, as Merlin had argued to Mrs. Afanc, Merlin found himself able to concentrate even more readily when he had some music on—Pantera, Metallica, Sabbath, Maiden. All that shit kept him focused, but she had to go and act like he was setting desks on fire.

“I beg to differ, Mr. Emrys. You’re a distraction to the other students. I’m afraid I’ll have to send a note home to your father.”

Yeah, he’d figured as much, but little did Principal Dickface know that Balinor wouldn’t care. His father barely noticed Merlin anymore, and on top of that he traveled so much Merlin could probably steal any letter out of the mail, anyway. Sticking his earbuds back in, Merlin stood up and slung his bag over his shoulder. He was already late for English, the only class he could stand in this shithole school, but Mr. Gaius was cool; he’d probably let it slide, first week and all.

“Oh, and Mr. Emrys?”

Merlin turned around.

“Keep this behavior up and you’ll be earning more than detention. Capice?”

“Got it, Principal.”

Merlin turned up the volume on his phone, air-drumming his way down the hall and ignoring the uncomfortable stares he got from other students. It didn’t bother Merlin; he had his own group of friends. The kids at school were hypocrites anyway, especially the jocks. They wouldn’t look at him in public, but he had sucked off half of the football team behind the bleachers at one point or another.

_All day long I think of things but nothing seems to satisfy_

_Think I’ll lose my mind if I don’t find something to pacify_

_Can you help me . . . o-occu-py my brain?_

One more year and then he’d be out of here. He couldn’t fucking wait.

 

›››››››››‹‹‹‹‹‹‹‹

 

Later that day, Merlin got to the detention room a few minutes after the final bell. He smirked at the usual suspects filling the seats. Percy and Elyan had gotten in a fight at lunchtime when Elyan found out Percy had spent the summer hooking up with his sister Gwen, so it was no surprise they were here. And it wouldn’t be a Wednesday at Avalon High without Gwaine getting detention. 

“Fancy seeing you here,” Elyan piped up.

“Yeah, big fuckin’ surprise, right?” Merlin answered.

“Hey, how’s it goin’, man?” Gwaine grinned, holding up his hand.

“Can’t complain,” Merlin replied, slapping it and sitting down at the desk next to him, thrusting his legs out in front. He gave the others a nod.

“What’re you in for today, Emrys?” Gwaine asked.

Merlin held up his iPhone, carefully coiling the cord before stowing it his bag.

“Ahh. You are a man dedicated to his music.” Gwaine nodded and leaned back in his chair, tipping it dangerously.

Merlin shrugged. “I’m dedicated to not being bored as shit. What about you?”

“Flipped off Mr. Alvarr.”

Merlin gave his friend a disbelieving look. Alvarr was one of the most hated teachers; he had the temper of a Rottweiler, and the rumor was he had a thing for little boys.

“Good for you, dude.”

Just then a tap on his shoulder made Merlin turn his head. It was Morgana, his best friend, Avalon’s resident Goth chick, and the only girl he’d ever fucked. It hadn’t been bad, really, but Merlin had ultimately decided he’d much rather suck a cock than a pussy. Vag was too wet and confusing—but dick got him off like no one’s business. Anyway, he’d been pretty positive he was gay after that little experiment.

Morgana gave him a wide, catlike smile and leaned forward. “You check out the new kid?"

“Who?” Merlin looked to where Morgana was not-so-secretly pointing, and it was only then that he noticed an unfamiliar kid in the corner. He was blond, dressed in light-colored jeans and a blue shirt—every single button done up to the collar. He wasn’t looking at anyone, staring instead at his hands on his desk, head down so Merlin couldn’t see his face. Didn’t seem like the kind of kid you’d find in detention.

“Name’s Arthur Pendragon,” Morgana whispered. “Just moved here from California.”

“Oh yeah?” Merlin asked, bored. Just then the kid’s head snapped up and he looked right at them, eyes widening. He’d bee pretty hot if he did something about the awful clothes and stupid haircut. Merlin raised his eyebrows in challenge—he certainly wasn’t going to be the one to look away first—and the kid dropped his gaze.

“He’s in my physics class first period. The word is his family is loaded, but he’s a little weird—”

“How so?” Merlin asked, his interest perking up.

Just then the door opened and Mr. Gaius walked in, giving them a wave and walking to the front of the room. Even though he was probably pushing seventy, he still had long hair, probably left over from his hippie days. He dressed in dashikis, and the students of Avalon generally agreed he was the best teacher in the school, if a bit spacey sometimes.

“Hellooo delinquents,” he joked. “One hour of quiet and then we’ll all be on our merry way. Try to do something productive with your time.”

He cocked his head when he saw Merlin, and Merlin blushed in spite of himself. The junior English and senior AP teacher, Gaius didn’t approve of Merlin’s antics. In fact, he was the only one who knew Merlin’s secret _talent_ , he called it. Whatever. So Merlin could write pretty well, and yeah, he liked doing it. That didn’t mean he was like gifted or anything. He certainly wasn’t going to share the things he wrote with anyone.

“Tell you later,” Morgana whispered, sliding back into her chair. Her statement made Merlin remember the kid in the corner. Arthur from California. Weird? Except for his clothes he seemed pretty normal—boring by the look of it. 

While the rest of the students got out their homework or doodled on notepads, Merlin’s gaze wandered to the side of the room where Arthur sat. He was hunched over a book, hair falling in his face. Whatever he was reading seemed to engross his attention; he didn’t appear to feel Merlin watching him. The clothes he was wearing were lame but expensive, not that Merlin cared about any of that shit. Every once in a while he ran his hand through his hair, brushing it out of eyes, which never strayed from the page. He looked tightly wound and closed in on himself, and from the way he was biting his bottom lip, he had reached a tense part in his book. It kinda annoyed Merlin that he couldn’t see the cover.

“Ahem. Mr. Emrys, perhaps you could find something to do other than stare?” 

Merlin’s eyes snapped toward the front of the room, but not before Arthur had noticed Merlin looking at him. Angered at being called out and at Gaius’s bemused expression, Merlin tucked his head, digging through his bag to find his math homework. For the rest of the hour he didn’t so much as glance up.

Later, Merlin was quiet as he walked home with Gwaine and Morgana, waiting for one or the both of them to call him out for staring at Arthur. When that didn’t happen he relaxed, fishing out a cigarette and lighting it, inhaling the relaxing smoke into his lungs.

“You got one of those for me, man?” Gwaine asked.

“Moocher,” Merlin said, throwing him another. “I think you owe me about a hundred.”

“I’ll getcha back.”

“Yeah, right.”

They’d lived in the same neighborhood, a middle class suburb not far from Avalon High, all their lives. Merlin regarded the ugly ranch-style houses and the well-manicured lawns sullenly, pulling another drag off his cig. His father didn’t approve of the habit, but Balinor wouldn’t be home for another day, so it didn’t matter if he smelled like smoke.

“So, like I was telling you before about that kid Arthur,” Morgana said, squeezing Merlin’s arm to get his attention. He turned his head and smirked down at her.

“Yeah?”

“He’s a junior but he’s taking senior classes. He’s like a billionaire or something, and he’s always late to Physics.”

Merlin poked her in the ribs. “Sounds like you’ve got a crush, Morg.”

“No way, dude. Not my type.”

“Yeah,” Gwaine said with a snort. “He’s straight.”

Morgana punched Gwaine in the arm. “Shut up, you.”

“So what the fuck is he doing here, then, if he’s so rich?” Merlin asked, interrupting them. Didn’t make sense for a kid whose family could afford private school to come to Avalon.

“Dunno. He doesn’t talk to _anyone_.”

“Probably got kicked out of prep school for drugs or something,” Gwaine offered.

“Drugs, Gwaine?” Merlin shook his head. It didn’t add up. “I’ll bet my life that kid has never gotten high. And anyway, that’s why you get _sent_ to prep school, moron.”

“You never know,” Gwaine said with a shrug. “Can’t judge a book by its cover, can you?”

Merlin snorted, thinking about how true . . . and how utterly false . . . that cliché was.

 

›››››››››‹‹‹‹‹‹‹‹

 

The following Monday, Merlin walked into Gaius’s class blasting Danzig; they’d had to read the first act of _Macbeth_ over the weekend, which, Merlin had decided, was a pretty metal play as far as Shakespeare was concerned. Better than _Romeo and Juliet_ , which they’d read the year before. Fucking overrated, if you asked Merlin.

_Mother, tell your children not to walk my way,_

_Tell your children not to—_

That’s when he stopped dead in his tracks—Arthur, the kid from detention, was sitting at Merlin’s usual desk. What the hell was he doing in AP English? Then Merlin remembered what Morgana had said about Arthur being smart, taking senior classes. His clothes were even worse than before—khakis Merlin wouldn’t be caught dead in and a fucking sweater vest. The definition of preppy, only somehow worse.

Arthur looked up at Merlin through blond fringe.

“Hi,” he said. 

“Uh,” Merlin said, pulling the buds out of his ears, flustered. “That’s my seat.”

Arthur looked around and Merlin followed his gaze; there were empty desks everywhere, his expression seemed to point out, so why did Merlin care where Arthur sat?

“There’s room for all,” came a voice from behind. Gaius was at the front of the room writing something on the board, but he’d seemed to notice their interaction. “Just find another chair, Mr. Emrys. And put the i-thingy away.”

Merlin quickly gathered his wits and sat the next row over as the final few students entered and settled in. He knew he was being childish, but for some reason Arthur’s taking his seat bothered him, like he was being displaced or something. If Arthur thought anything about the exchange, he didn’t show it. He kept his gaze locked on the front of the room.

“I’d like to introduce you all to a new student who’ll be joining us for the rest of the year. This is Arthur Pendragon from San Diego,” Gaius said once the bell had rung. “Arthur, would you tell us a little about yourself? Hobbies, movies you like?” 

Arthur cleared his throat. When he spoke his voice was deep, but it trembled with nerves. “I don’t have many hobbies. Reading, I guess. I like the Beatles.”

“Ah, excellent, excellent,” Gaius said, beaming, then added a “ _I am the walrus, goo goo g’joob!_ ” for good measure. Some kids in the class snickered and Arthur flushed, obviously not used to Gauis’s random and terrible singing. By the end of the year, he would be. “And what did you think of _Macbeth_?”

“It’s not my favorite Shakespeare, but I enjoyed reading it this time around.”

 _This time around?_ Was this kid for real? A couple other students tittered. “Very good, very good,” Gaius said. “I hope you will find our students welcoming.” He turned a disapproving look on the room designed to silence the laughers. “May I ask which of the Bard’s plays is your favorite?”

“I’d have to say . . . probably _Romeo and Juliet_.”

Merlin snorted. He couldn’t help himself, earning a glare from Gaius and a red face from Arthur.

“Mr. Emrys.”

“Sorry. I just really don’t like that play. __Romeo's an idiot who falls in love with the first girl he sees and Juilet's no prize herself." He couldn't remember why else he hadn't liked it. He shrugged and looked at Arthur. "People say it's a tragedy, but I wanted to laugh at the end. I mean, come_ on _, really? Now,_ Macbeth_ is a tragedy. It's so much better.”

“I agree that _Macbeth_ is a better play, formally speaking,” Arthur said, his tone quiet but firm. “But Mr. Gaius asked which was my favorite.”

“I guess there’s no accounting for taste,” Merlin replied.

He had no idea why he was reacting this way, why it mattered if this preppy rich kid liked a crappy play. But he felt uneasy, riled when Arthur turned his blue eyes on him and said in an enigmatic voice, “No, I guess not.” 

 

›››››››››‹‹‹‹‹‹‹

 

Soon Arthur and Merlin’s in-class rivalry had become the stuff of legend, Avalon High legend, at least.

They disagreed over everything; even when Merlin shared Arthur’s view he made a point to play Devil’s Advocate. It was fun to unnerve Arthur—he turned the most gratifying shade of pink, but as the days passed he gained a sort of confidence, his voice losing its nervous tremble. Now he’d meet Merlin head on in challenge, so victory was never assured. Gaius seemed to vacillate between irritation and amusement, but in general, as long as they stayed relatively respectful during their debates, he let them argue it out.

Merlin started noticing things about Arthur, like how he walked as though he was always lost, head in the clouds. He dressed like he was colorblind and seemed to have an eternal supply of horrible sweaters, never wearing the same one more than once. He didn’t have any friends and seemed shy of most people. But he was snarky too, which would come out sometimes when they argued in class. Merlin had a feeling there was a lot more to Arthur’s personality than he was comfortable showing in public.

Sometimes Merlin’d turn his head (they’d taken to sitting next to each other most days) and notice Arthur turn quickly away, like he didn’t want to be caught. Merlin didn’t know how to feel about it. Arthur was not his type—at all. They had zero in common. It didn’t make any sense, yet still Merlin found himself looking forward to English every day. 

“So, when are you gonna bone that new kid, Merlin?” Gwaine asked one day as they were all walking home.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Merlin replied, his voice casual.

“Oh come off it, man. Elyan said, and this is a direct quote, ‘you could cut the sexual tension with a knife’ in that English class of yours.”

Merlin flushed in spite of himself. “Elyan’s full of shit.”

“Is Arthur even gay?” Morgana asked.

“Dunno,” Merlin said, mind buzzing with half-remembered glances.

“You should go for it, dude. I bet he’s wild under all that uptight, shy boy routine.”

“Sounds like you’re the interested one, Gwaine,” Merlin said.

“I bet he has a huge dick,” Morgana piped in. 

Merlin turned, eyes widening. “Oh my God, Merlin, you should see your face right now,” Morgana said with a laugh. “But I’m serious. The quiet ones are always packing.”

“I’ll have you know mine is huge, and I talk a lot.” Gwaine slung his arm around Morgana’s shoulder.

“I guess three inches is considered big in some countries,” Morgana shot back. Merlin rolled his eyes at them; they’d been flirting like this for the past year and he didn’t understand why they wouldn’t just fuck already.

“I don’t know why you’re even thinking about Arthur’s dick,” Merlin said.

“A little jealous, are we?” Gwaine said, miming a blowjob, tongue in cheek. “Want that monster cock for yourself?”

By now they’d reached their point of divergence. Merlin shoved his hands in his pockets and considered his friends with a scowl.

“No way. I’m not fucking jealous. You’re insane.”

“Methinks the lady doth protest—”

“Shut _up_ , Gwaine. I’ll see you two losers tomorrow,” Merlin said, pushing down all the images that had appeared in his stupid, traitor brain.

But the next morning during Merlin’s shower jerk-off, Arthur’s face popped into his mind just as he was about to come. Those blue eyes, _fuck_. He came hard, dick emptying into the drain as he imagined what it would be like for Arthur to suck him off with those red lips.

He shook his head to clear it of the fantasy and a grabbed a towel, muttering to himself. Stupid Gwaine and his stupid suggestions. There was no way that was ever happening.

Merlin forgot about the whole thing until someone ran smack into him between first and second period.

“Hey, what the fu—” Merlin started to say, turning round to see who’d hit his arm and nearly knocked his iPhone out of his hand. It was Arthur, dressed in another hideous sweater.

“Sorry,” he said, looking down at his shoes.

“Did you do that on purpose?” Merlin asked.

“No.”

“Well, you should really watch where you’re going, you know?” He wasn’t sure why he was so testy, but it probably had something to do with the fact that he’d just jerked off to Arthur’s face and now the dude was standing in front of him, lips all chapped and smelling like he’d just come in from the cold, which made no sense since school had been in session for a couple of hours.  Merlin pulled out his earbuds and hung them around his neck.

Arthur’s brows creased. “You weren’t.” 

He couldn’t stop thinking about the random shower fantasy now, not when Arthur was biting at his bottom lip. “Where are you off to in such a hurry, then?” he asked instead, willing himself not to pop a boner in the middle of the damn hall.

“Nowhere. Just class. I missed my first one.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yeah. I overslept.” Merlin wanted to ask a slew of questions, like why hadn’t his folks woken him up, but it wasn’t really any of his business.

“Hmm,” Merlin said. Somehow they’d started walking and Arthur fell into step next to him. “So . . .” he said as they started back down the hall. “You’re from California.”

“Yeah,” Arthur said. His face reddened a bit, and Merlin wondered what the fuck was wrong with him that he thought it was cute.

“I can tell.”

“What do you mean, you can tell?” Arthur cocked his head, his eyebrows knitting together.

“You’re blond. You kinda look like a movie star, tan and all that.”

Arthur’s blush intensified. “I do not.”

“Well, maybe not with those clothes,” Merlin said, gesturing.

Arthur’s brow furrowed. “There’s nothing wrong with my clothes."

“If you say so, dude.”

“Says the guy who wears the same thing every day. What is that, anyway? A dog collar?”

Merlin’s hand automatically drifted to his neck. He fingered the leather there, the metal studs smooth under his fingertips. Balinor had thrown a fit when he’d first started wearing it, but his mother . . . his mother hadn’t minded. “Kinda,” he said, throat tightening. 

“You’re strange.”

“I hope so. Not being strange is so boring.”

“I guess.”

 “This is me,” Merlin said as they reached his class. “I guess I’ll catch you later.”

“All right,” Arthur said. And then he smiled. It wasn’t a huge smile, just a hint on one corner of his mouth like he was the fucking Mona Lisa, all enigmatic and shit. No one who wasn’t Gwaine or Morgana ever smiled at him, except maybe Gaius when Merlin wrote something he thought was good. It made him feel strange. They weren’t friends; they didn’t even really like each other. Right?

 

›››››››››‹‹‹‹‹‹‹‹

 

That afternoon, Merlin was back in detention courtesy of being caught smoking on school grounds. Not surprisingly, given his missed class, Arthur was there as well. He looked up when Merlin entered and gave a curt nod before dropping his head, eyes back on his book. Instead of sitting on the opposite end of the room, Merlin took a seat one row over, dropping down into his chair and pulling out his notebook.

Today it was only the two of them, and the teacher in charge was someone Merlin didn’t know—a young chick, maybe a substitute. She seemed nervous, rustling papers at the front of the room, not looking at them. That was fine by Merlin.

“What are you reading?” he whispered.

Arthur bit his lip and lifted his head, glancing to the front of the room nervously before showing Merlin the cover.

 _On the Road._ Merlin nodded, impressed before he could stop himself.

Arthur quirked one brow, mouthed something that seemed like, _Oh, his highness approves?_

So as not to give too much away, Merlin wrinkled his nose. “It’s all right, I guess.”

“No talking,” the teacher said, and that was that. Arthur went back to reading his book and Merlin doodled in the margins of a blank page, growing bored as the hour drew on.

He yawned dramatically and stretched, lifting his arms overhead. He cracked his knuckles and settled back down, only to find Arthur staring at him, his blue eyes wide. And not only was Arthur staring, he was watching the place where Merlin’s shirt had lifted as he’d stretched.

Howinteresting.

Arthur looked away, a faint blush coloring his cheeks, and suddenly detention was much less dull. An experiment was in order.

Merlin cleared his throat and leaned back in the chair, splaying out his legs. When he didn’t get any response from Arthur or the teacher, he let his head loll back and shut his eyes, chasing the tiny circles that danced under his closed lids. For good measure, he rubbed his stomach, lifting his shirt and scratching his happy trail, letting the skin peek through. When he opened his eyes again and looked at Arthur, his face was a furious shade of red. The page he was reading must have very interesting indeed: he hadn’t turned it in over five minutes.

As soon as the hour was over, Arthur grabbed his bag and bolted out of the classroom like his ass was on fire. Merlin could only conclude that the hasty departure was explainable by one of two options:

A. Merlin made Arthur uncomfortable.

B. Merlin gave Arthur a boner.

He was suddenly consumed with the desire to find out which it was, when he was hit by the realization that maybe it was both. 

 

›››››››››‹‹‹‹‹‹‹‹

 

“Another goddamn detention?” His dad was standing in the kitchen holding an envelope. Shit. Merlin had forgotten all about the note from school after he’d confiscated it. Merlin huffed, throwing his bag to the floor.

“I see you’ve been snooping in my room.”

“My house, my rules. And I got a call from Principal Tauren wondering why I hadn’t responded.”

 _Shit._ Merlin scrubbed his face over his hands and sighed.

“I’m taking away that iPhone, Merlin. This has got to stop.”

“What do you care, anyway, _Balinor_?” Merlin shot back, knowing the use of his father's first name would get a rise. It was so like his dad to be absent for days, weeks at a time and then waltz back into his life pretending to give two shits.

“I care because I’m your father and I love you. And don’t speak to me like that.”

“That’s a joke,” he grumbled under his breath, grabbing his bag and turning on his heel.

“What did you just say to me?”

Merlin whirled back around. “I said that’s a fucking joke. Ever since Mom died all you care about is yourself. You haven’t even been here. So what the fuck does it matter if I get detention? What does it even matter if I go to school?”

His father’s face fell, went pale. “I know I haven’t been around as much . . . work has been . . .”

“Right,” Merlin said. “Always work. Fuck it.” He stormed to his room and slammed the door, fighting against the angry tears. Instead, he put on Megadeath, turning his speakers loud, and let the drums soothe the ache that had been left by his mother’s death. It had been almost two years since they’d gotten the call about the car accident that had taken her life. Fucking drunk driver, head-on collision on her way home from work.

His mom had been the parent who really understood him. They’d been close. She didn’t care if he dressed the way he did, or what music he liked, or that he was gay. She just wanted him to be happy. And he was. They were all fucking happy until some drunken asshole decided to get in his car and take it all away.

School the rest of the week was a joke. Merlin ditched two days and then skipped detention, which resulted in another one on top of it all. By Friday he’d earned himself a pull-aside by Gaius after English.

“What’s going on with you this week, Merlin?” His eyes were concerned. Merlin swallowed and evaded the gaze.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean I’ve gotten used to you being pretty vocal in class and this week nothing. And the absences. Skipping detention? Is there anything you need to talk about?”

Merlin sighed. “I’m fine. Just some stuff with my dad, is all.”

“If you’d like to talk to someone . . .”

“Really,” Merlin said, keeping his voice even. “I’m cool.”

“I’ll see you after school today, though, right?”

“Yeah, yeah. I’ll be there.”

Merlin slunk into detention a few minutes late. He didn’t recognize anyone in the room, except for Gaius, of course.

“Late, Mr. Emrys, you know what this means?”

“Another detention?”

“How about an extra five minutes?”

“Cool. Sorry,” he said, giving Gaius a thumbs up. Just then the door opened and Arthur entered. When he saw Merlin, he raised his hand in an awkward wave. They hadn’t spoken in almost a week, and Merlin had been so lost in his own head he’d forgotten about the incident in detention, how Arthur had run out of the room so quickly. But now it all came rushing back, along with realization he’d kind of _missed_ Arthur.

He watched as Arthur made his way toward the back of the class, taking a seat nearby. Gaius gave him a look. “Mr. Pendragon . . .”

“Sorry I’m late, Sir,” Arthur said. “It won’t happen again.”

“Yes, well, it’s good to see you and Mr. Emrys seem to have something in common after all,” Gaius said wryly.

The urge to turn and see if Arthur was watching him was like an itch, but Merlin resisted. He rubbed at his neck, working out some of the kinks, rolling his shoulders, not quite sure what he was doing. What he wanted to prove.

It would be fucking nice to get off, though, that was for sure. And he couldn’t really deny that under those stupid clothes Arthur was a pretty hot guy. Maybe he even did have a big dick, which would be a bonus.

And so he stretched again, letting his shirt lift up, took the chance and looked back.

Arthur’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed deeply, then glanced away, shifting uncomfortably in his seat. There was no misinterpreting that look, not this time. Merlin licked his lips.

“May I go to the bathroom?” Arthur asked, not looking at Merlin as Gaius assented. He rose, hurrying out of the classroom.

Five minutes passed, then ten.

“Do you want me to go find him?” Merlin asked, heart picking up speed at the thought of confronting Arthur, not sure what he expected. It was exciting.

Gaius nodded. “Fine. But don’t you get _lost_ , too,” he said, giving Merlin a pointed stare as he left the room. “And hurry back.”

The hallways were deserted and silent; it was almost eerie, this time of day in school. _This is what it’ll be like after the zombie apocalypse,_ Merlin thought as he jogged down the hall. Maybe Arthur was sick, or hell, maybe he was jerking off.

He didn’t waste any time, pushing open the door to the first floor bathroom.

Arthur was standing in front of the sinks, water running. He looked over his shoulder, mouth dropping open as Merlin approached.

“You left in a hurry,” Merlin said, smirking. Arthur shut off the water and straightened up. Shoulders back, he looked much taller, and Merlin realized they were just about the same height. His initial surprised expression had become guarded, but he didn’t turn fully around. Upon closer inspection, Merlin noticed why. He had a tent going in his khakis, and he was doing his best to hide it.  

“Yeah, well.”

“So I’ve been sent to find you.” Merlin took another step forward. “See if you were okay.”

“Are you?” Merlin asked.

“Is this some kind of game for you?” Arthur’s voice had gone soft, his eyes unsure, half-lidded.

“What do you mean?” Now there were mere inches between them, and Merlin wondered if it was a game or something else entirely. 

“What are you doing, anyway?” Arthur asked.

“What does it look like I’m doing?” Merlin stuck out his hand, gently touched Arthur’s hip. Arthur shuddered.

“But I’m not . . .”

Arthur bit his lip again, eyes darting to Merlin’s mouth, and that one slip gave Merlin the confidence he needed to act. He took Arthur by the shoulders—strong, broader than they seemed under the stupid plaid sweater—and turned him around. Arthur’s breath hitched as Merlin leaned forward, pressing Arthur into the sinks and taking his mouth in a kiss that left no question of what he wanted. It was awkward at first because Arthur was frozen, and so Merlin angled his head, drew back and brushed his lips against Arthur’s, sliding his hands up Arthur’s shoulders to his scalp, waiting.

He didn’t wait long. Arthur made a surprised sound and pressed his lips back against Merlin’s tentatively, breath exhaling in shakes. Merlin teased his tongue along the chapped bottom lip Arthur liked to worry, and then took it between his own lips, sucking until Arthur opened his mouth to let him in. Their mouths moved together, the kiss quickly changing into something needful and messy. What Arthur lacked in skill he made up for with eagerness, making little grunting noises as their tongues slid against each other, gasping when Merlin nudged his thigh in-between Arthur’s legs. Merlin licked into Arthur’s mouth, thought _fuck yeah_ when Arthur began a slow grind against him.

Fuck, Arthur was big, and Merlin’s own dick was hard and straining against Arthur’s hip as they kissed and kissed, hands in each other’s hair, the time and the fact that anyone could walk in on them at any moment adding a thrill of danger.  

“Fuck, you’re hard,” Merlin said, reaching down to squeeze Arthur’s cock through his pants. It was heavy and hot even through the layers of fabric and Merlin wanted nothing more than to get his mouth on it. The other boy’s eyes went wide, mouth raw from being kissed.

“W-we can’t . . .” Arthur said, eyes darting to the door.

Merlin realized, some rationality returning, that he was right, but nor could Arthur go back to detention with his dick sticking out like he was an actor on the set of some porno. He kept squeezing Arthur’s cock, and Arthur’s lids fluttered shut.

“I’ve never . . . with a . . . or . . .” Arthur started before trailing off, his face flushed now from embarrassment, not arousal.

“I kinda figured.” The words had slipped out of his mouth before he could stop them.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Arthur asked, stilling Merlin’s hand.

“Nothing,” Merlin said, trying to figure out how to get back on track, “I didn’t mean anything bad by it.”

“Yeah, right.” Arthur had managed to disentangle himself from Merlin and stepped away. “I know what you and your friends probably think of me. This isn’t . . . I can’t do this.” 

“Arthur, wait—”

But Arthur had already turned and gone, leaving Merlin with a raging hard-on, cursing his own stupid cock-blocking mouth.

 

›››››››››‹‹‹‹‹‹‹‹

 

By Monday, Merlin still didn’t have a handle on what had happened between him and Arthur in the bathroom on Friday. When he’d got back to detention, the other boy wouldn’t even look at him, and he’d disappeared before Merlin had the chance to explain.

Not that Merlin really knew how to explain. He hadn’t really thought anything would happen between them, and when it had, he hadn’t thought beyond the moment. And then Arthur had made vague comments about never having done anything before and Merlin had interpreted it as his embarrassment over his inexperience and stuck his foot in his mouth. But as the weekend wore on and he replayed the scene a million times, he wondered if perhaps there was more to Arthur’s discomfort than anything Merlin had said—that maybe he wasn’t into guys. Or didn’t want to be into guys, given what he’d said before Merlin had kissed him. “ _But I’m not_ . . .”

He’d heard those words before, mostly from half-straight boys he’d gotten with who’d been surprised by their own responsiveness. There had been no denying, though, that Arthur was attracted to him. So maybe he had just been embarrassed about what Merlin said. Or not. Fucking hell, it made Merlin’s head hurt, thinking it over. Why did he even care? It was just an awkward kiss in bathroom, not true love or anything. So, yeah, Merlin had liked it, and the memory had also served as jerk-off material several times over when it wasn’t being confusing. He should probably just forget it. Forget that hard cock pressing against him, the surprised, greedy sounds Arthur made as they kissed. Yeah. He should just forget it.

It turned out Merlin didn’t even have a reason to worry. Arthur wasn’t in school that day, or the next. On Wednesday, Merlin sat in English with his eyes fixed on the door, but Arthur never showed.

“What are you so mopey about?” Morgana asked after school on Wednesday. They were in her bedroom lounging around and listening to music, some chick band Morgana liked.

“I’m not mopey.” He certainly wasn’t moping about a certain blond-haired, uptight, rich kid.

“You are. You’re mopey. You look like you could use a bj.” Morgana sat up on her bed and looked down at the floor where Merlin was sprawled, hands behind his head.

“You offering?”

“Maybe.”

Merlin snorted, shook his head. Even though her voice had a joking edge, sometimes he still worried that she liked him.

“You should offer Gwaine,” he said.

“No way. He doesn’t like me like that.”

Rolling over on his side, Merlin gave her his best scrutinizing stare. “You two are perfect for each other. Both in denial.”

“Oh shut _up_.” He grabbed the pillow that was launched at his head and repurposed it, lying back down and sighing in exaggerated comfort.

“I’m just saying you guys would be good together.”

“Ugh, but Gwaine? He’s like my best friend.”

“Gee thanks."

“I mean other than you, obviously.” Morgana started picking at her nails, a habit that drove Merlin crazy; she always did it when she was nervous, leaving tiny black flecks of nail polish in her wake. “What are you suddenly, like a matchmaker or something?”

“Fuck it, just forget I said anything.”

“Oh Merlin, you’re so moody.” She looked down at him, black hair falling over her face, which made her look kinda hot and evil. But the smile she gave him was sad. “Is it about your mom? The anniversary’s coming up, right?”

“Sunday.”

“Fuck.”

“Yeah.”

“You okay?”

“I’m fine,” Merlin said. He’d gotten so used to lying, he hardly even knew when he was doing it anymore.

 

›››››››››‹‹‹‹‹‹‹‹

 

When Merlin walked into class the next day and saw Arthur sitting in his usual seat, all blond and chewing on the end of his pen, he was filled with so many contradictory urges he didn’t know how to sort them. Irritation. Definitely lust. Relief?

“Where’ve you been?” he asked, a little bitterness creeping into his tone as he sat down beside Arthur. The rest of the students were chattering, not paying them any attention.

“Out sick.” Arthur glanced at him, then quickly away, a telltale blush spreading on his cheeks. Clearly he was a crap liar.

“Oh, really?” Arthur didn’t look like he’d been sick; he looked healthy as a fucking horse. Dammit, he looked good, which was supremely annoying.

“Yeah.” Then Arthur turned, his blue eyes serious. “What do you care, anyway?”

“I don’t,” Merlin said angrily, digging in his bag just for something to do.

“Then why are you asking?” Arthur shot back.

Merlin raised his head and met Arthur’s challenging stare. It was intense, so much different from the shy kid Merlin had gotten used to over the past couple months. And fuck if it didn’t cause a stirring in Merlin’s pants.

Before he had the chance to answer, Gaius walked in and called them to order, and Merlin was grateful for the distraction, even though he could hardly focus on a word that was said. He kept quiet, occasionally stealing a glance at Arthur, who looked just as ill at ease as Merlin. That was something, at least.

By the time the bell rang, Merlin was a lethal cocktail of angry and turned on, certain he wanted to kiss Arthur again, but also sure it would be a bad idea. One thing was certain, though; he had to get Arthur alone.

They spilled out into the hall, entering the throng of students changing classes, and Merlin lost sight of Arthur for a minute until he spied his blond head moving in the opposite direction. Not wasting a moment to think, Merlin took off after him through the thinning crowd.

“Arthur,” he said, once the kid was within earshot. “Wait a fucking second.”

Arthur turned around, and Merlin expected to see shock, nervousness, anything but the hard glare he received.

“What?”

“I need to talk to you for a minute.”

Then Arthur did look hesitant, glancing around them, then back to Merlin. He bit his lip, and Merlin reached out, took his arm and dragged him into an empty classroom. The light was off, the shades drawn, and all of a sudden Merlin realized they were alone in a relatively dark room. Whatever he’d been planning to say vanished, lost in the rhythm of Arthur’s quiet breathing, in the proximity of their bodies.

“So,” Arthur said, “what did you—”

“Just shut up,” Merlin replied. He leaned forward just as Arthur did, and their mouths mashed together in a kiss that was all tongue and teeth. Merlin was weak with the relief that he didn’t seem to be alone in this because Arthur was fierce, his lips just as hard and demanding. It was better this time, even with the weird tension of whatever was unspoken between them.

Merlin drew away and kissed Arthur’s neck, sucking deeply into the skin there, feeling a moan vibrate under his tongue. Hands were in his hair, and then Arthur’s hips arched and met his. They were both hard, and Merlin rubbed into it, walked Arthur back until they met the firmness of the wall. It was even better then, and Merlin dragged his mouth back to Arthur’s, nipped that full bottom lip and sighed when Arthur’s tongue licked against his in an open-mouthed kiss.

He let himself touch Arthur, his chest, his arms, felt answering strokes on his back as Arthur pulled him closer. Merlin was painfully hard now, needing to come and not caring that they were in a fucking biology lab. The sounds Arthur was making were even better than he remembered, and his skin was salty where Merlin drew bruises, marking it as he humped into the crease of Arthur’s hip. His cock chafed against the inside of his pants, but Merlin couldn’t stop. He was so close.

“Oh . . . I’m gonna . . .” Arthur said, head falling back against the wall, his own pelvis grinding with the same furious need.

“Fucking yesss.” Merlin brought their mouths back together as his orgasm overtook him, pulsing sticky in his jeans, and Arthur was still moving, clawing at Merlin’s back, kissing his lips swollen. He grunted and stilled and Merlin watched his mouth drop open, eyes closed, and it was the hottest thing Merlin had ever seen, watching innocent, rich-boy Arthur come, debauched in a fucking high school classroom.

They stayed pressed up against each other until the wetness in Merlin’s pants started growing cool and uncomfortable, and awkward silence descended once more.

“Shit, I’m going to be so late,” Arthur said, voice more tired than worried. It was the first time Merlin had ever heard Arthur swear. He laughed.

“Yeah. Well you might wanna make a trip to the bathroom first,” Merlin said, adjusting himself.

Even in the dim light of the classroom, Merlin could see Arthur blush.

“You’re not gonna tell anyone about this are you?” Arthur asked.

“Nah,” Merlin said, though he suspected he’d left some pretty significant marks on Arthur’s neck. He tried to ignore the fact that Arthur’s words made him feel like shit. “It was just a hook-up. A one-time thing. No worries.”

“Good. Yeah,” Arthur said, and Merlin swallowed away the lump in his throat at the ease of his agreement.

“I gotta go,” Merlin said, walking to the door. A hand on his arm stopped him, tugged him back, and his heart gave a lurch.

“Merlin—”

“What?”

Arthur’s face fell. “Nothing. Never mind.”

 

›››››››››‹‹‹‹‹‹‹‹

 

“You gave me . . . _hickeys_ ,” Arthur said, lowering his voice to hiss the last word in a whisper. He was standing by Merlin’s locker early on Friday morning wearing a button down shirt, the collar popped. Even so, Merlin could detect a hint of a purplish bruise peeking from underneath, just shaded by Arthur’s angular jaw. It gave him a secret thrill he’d put it there.

“Yeah, so?"

“ _Yeah, so_ my mother saw.”

“Sorry, man.”

“You don’t understand . . . I can’t . . .”

“No, I think I get it. Just tell her it was some chick or something. Whatever. She’ll probably be pleased as punch her son isn’t a homo after all.” He slammed his locker shut and started walking away, but Arthur was following him, striding along quickly to keep up.

“You did it on purpose."

“You didn’t seem to mind at the time. In fact, I’d say you liked it.” Merlin smirked at the blush that colored Arthur’s cheeks. He was fucking right.

“Don’t talk so loudly.”

Merlin’s smirk faded, and he looked straight ahead. The last thing he needed was to get caught in the mess of Arthur’s denial; he wasn’t about to feel ashamed about who he was. “You’re the one who brought it up.”

As they walked together in silence toward their respective homerooms, Merlin’s couldn’t help being aware of Arthur, how he smelled all freshly showered, his blond hair still wet.  He was wearing jeans today and they were way too short, perfect for a _waiting for a flood, Pendragon?_ Merlin kept his mouth shut, almost disappointed when they arrived at his class.

“I got detention yesterday for being late.”

“Me too,” Merlin said.

What Arthur said next was uttered so softly, Merlin wasn’t sure he’d heard right. “It was worth it.”

 

›››››››››‹‹‹‹‹‹‹‹

 

They didn’t talk in English, but Arthur’s words replayed over and over in Merlin’s head. As class let out, Arthur caught Merlin’s gaze and held it before he left, no doubt not wanting to be late again. It was confusing, to say the least. The night before Merlin had himself firmly convinced this thing with Arthur was just a one-time deal, just to get his rocks off and get the kid out of his head—and certainly Arthur didn’t seem to want more. But what had happened that morning had him all disturbed again, anticipating detention like it was a goddamn holiday. 

When he finally got there, the room was filled with familiar faces. Elyan and Gwaine were sitting together and beckoned for him to join them when Merlin noticed Arthur at the back. He couldn’t go sit with him, not with his friends watching, and he didn’t dare look either.

“Dude,” Gwaine whispered over to him after Merlin sat. “You check out Pendragon’s neck?”

“What? No.” Even though Gwaine was whispering, the room was quiet enough for anyone to hear, and Merlin wanted to fucking kill him.

“Looks like he got hoovered,” Elyan added. “Shit, bro, I didn’t know the kid had it in him.”

Merlin remained silent as the other two traded a couple more comments and laughed. If he told them to shut up they’d wonder why, and if he joined in Arthur might hear and think he was an asshole. The best strategy was definitely to pretend like he didn’t give two shits.

“So,” Elyan said to Merlin, “you two are buds and all. How’d he get so lucky? Who’s the chick?”

“Or maybe it was it a dude?” Gwaine added.

Merlin glared at him, but was saved from answering by the overseeing teacher entering and taking a seat, instructing them all to be quiet. Merlin was pissed off at Gwaine and Elyan, but it was his own fault, really. He’d wanted to mark Arthur and now the whole school had probably noticed, which was the last thing Arthur had wanted. 

Once people had settled into their work, Merlin chanced a glance at Arthur, who was frowning with his face in his book. He felt horrible.

“Hey, Merl,” Gwaine said after detention was over. “We’re headed over to Odyssey, wanna come?”

Gwaine’s older brother Lance had a comic book store downtown, and they often went after school to hang out in the back room, play games, read shit for free. Any other day he’d have gone, but today Merlin’s attention was focused on Arthur, who was walking down the hall in the other direction.

“Nah, man. I gotta get home. Work to do.”

“It’s Friday.”

Of course Gwaine would pick today to be observant. “Yeah, but I got this lab report, you know, and it’s gonna take forever. Gotta get a head start.”

One of Gwaine’s eyebrows shot up skeptically, but he shrugged. “All right, then. Call you tomorrow?”

“Sounds good.”

“Yeah, check you later, Merlin.”  Elyan slapped him on the shoulder and he watched his two friends walk away and round the corner before he headed after Arthur. He was already out the front door and halfway down the school steps when Merlin spotted him, hands thrust in his pockets.

“Arthur,” he called, “wait up!”

He must have been heard, he was loud enough, but Arthur didn’t turn around, forcing Merlin to run to catch up. What was going on that he was always running after this kid?

“Hey,” he said, reaching out and touching Arthur’s arm. “I’m sorry. Those guys don’t mean any harm. They’re just joking around.”

 “Yeah. At my expense,” Arthur said, voice edged with bitterness. “It’s all so funny to you.”

“No. It’s not. It’s really not.”

“Whatever. It doesn’t even matter.” He seemed so defeated; Merlin cursed himself for not telling off Gwaine and Elyan when he had the chance. Whatever was going on with Arthur, he was freaked out about this whole situation, and Merlin should have known better. There’d been a time when he’d gotten crap at school for being gay, but he’d learned to ignore the insults and comments of ignorant losers, and now most people left him alone. If they talked behind his back, it was mostly because of the way he dressed or how often he got in trouble. He didn’t care.

 _The most important thing is for you to be true to yourself_ , his mother had once told him when he’d come home one day crying over some dumb jock calling him a faggot in gym. It hadn’t really helped then, but he believed it now.

“It does. Look, I’m sorry I didn’t say anything. I would have, you know, but I was afraid they’d get suspicious and you said you didn’t want anyone to know, so . . .”

“I guess.” Arthur still wouldn’t look at him. Then he sighed.

“Where you going now?” Merlin asked.

“Home.”

“Why don’t you come over? My dad’s away.” That got Arthur’s attention. He turned, regarded Merlin cautiously, and Merlin was caught in that blue-eyed stare, aware of the lingering implications of an empty house. It didn’t have to be like that, though Merlin wouldn’t mind a little more action.

“What about your mom?”

“Um. My mom’s dead.”

Arthur’s eyes widened with surprise, and Merlin could see the familiar play of emotions behind his features as he tried to conjure something to say, some expression of sympathy. Merlin didn’t want that.

“You don’t have to say anything,” Merlin said quickly, wanting to change the subject. “It’s . . . it’s . . . people don’t really know what to say and I’d rather not have the pity.”

Arthur was quiet for a moment. “I don’t pity you. But I am sorry to hear about your mom.”

  
“So you wanna come over?” Merlin asked again, not sure what the fuck he was doing, just that he didn’t want Arthur to go. 

“Um. Okay. I’ll have to call my mother first.”

“Right. Great.”

Merlin hung a few paces back while Arthur pulled out his phone and called his mother. He tried not to listen to the conversation, but winced all the same at the tone Arthur used to convince his mother that _yes_ he had a new friend from school. He thought about lighting a cigarette, but Arthur didn’t smoke and if anything happened, well, he didn’t want to get ahead of himself, but he didn’t want to smell, either.

“So where do you live?”

“Over this way. Come on.”

As they walked, they stuck to relatively innocent conversation—what work they had in classes, what teachers they liked or didn’t. It was the most they’d ever talked, and Merlin found they had more in common, at least personality-wise, than he’d suspected before. Arthur was a good student but seemed bored by his course work, which was why he’d enrolled in senior classes. It had apparently been Gaius’s idea for him to switch from junior to AP English, and he planned to start college courses the next year. He wanted to know where Merlin was applying, sounded interested when Merlin explained about the programs he was considering. And apparently there was no real mystery to why he was always late for school. He liked to stay up late and often overslept.

Where they really disagreed was music.

“I can’t believe you like the fucking Dave Matthews Band.” Merlin guffawed, slapping his knee, and Arthur scowled. “Oh _God_. You're like a mom.”

“There’s nothing wrong with Dave. It’s actual music, not like the crap you listen to.” Arthur gestured at the tee Merlin was wearing, just visible in-between the open flaps of his leather jacket.

“Whoa. Whoaaa. Are you calling Metallica crap?” He shoved at Arthur, but Arthur managed to dart away.

“Yeah. Maybe I am."

“Oh, you are _so_ dead. Metallica is poetry. Serious old school, classic metal. Have you ever listened to the lyrics?”

“How can you even hear lyrics? It’s all noise.”

“I think I’m going to have to kill you.”

They’d reached Merlin’s house, and he pulled out his keys, jiggling the lock while Arthur stood behind him.

“I’m really not scared.”

“You should be. That’s it,” Merlin said, opening the door with a flourish. “Musical education time.”

“Oh great,” Arthur said, his voice dripping sarcasm. “I can’t wait for this.”

They went up to Merlin’s room and dropped their bags on the floor, and it was only then Merlin realized they were standing alone in his fucking room, and there was a bed, and why would he even spare a moment for Arthur’s musical education when he could be giving Arthur his first blow job? The other boy was looking around, biting his lip as he regarded the posters on Merlin’s wall, shifting from one foot to the other. He seemed nervous now.

“You really like the color black, don’t you?” Arthur observed.

“Black’s not a color. It’s the absence of color. The void.”

Arthur rolled his eyes. “How profound.”

He was studying an Iron Maiden poster with a look of distaste, so Merlin moved a little closer. “So, what do you want to do?” he asked, quirking his brow.

Arthur flushed and looked away, the bravado of seconds before vanishing. “Um . . .”

“I know what I wanna do.” Merlin took a chance and reached out to touch Arthur’s waist.

“I’m starting to think you have a one track mind.”

“Yeah, so? Don’t you?” He stepped forward in challenge. Arthur’s eyes focused on Merlin’s mouth, so he pressed his advantage and let his tongue dart out to wet his lips.

“Yeah,” Arthur admitted, his hands drifting to Merlin’s belt loops, thumbs hooking through and pulling him close enough to kiss. Neither of them seemed inclined to admit they’d agreed this wouldn’t happen again, and that was okay with Merlin. He let Arthur make the first move, keeping still as Arthur skimmed his nose along Merlin’s, hot breath on his face just before their lips met. They stood there for some time, just kissing until they wanted closer, and Merlin started pulling Arthur toward the bed, pushing him down and straddling him.

Arthur’s mouth was open, his shirt riding up, and Merlin moved to kiss the bare skin—a faint golden color and warm as the sun. The fuzzy hair around Arthur’s navel tickled Merlin’s nose and he pushed the shirt higher, unveiling more flesh until he found what he was looking for—Arthur’s perfect nipples. He licked first one, than the other until Arthur was panting, hands in his hair, hips straining.

“Just tell me if you want to stop,” Merlin said, hand paused on Arthur’s fly. He was so fucking horny himself, but his own satisfaction could wait; he wanted to see Arthur more than anything.

“Don’t stop. Please.”

Merlin’s blood rushed with the heady thought he was the first to do this, to touch Arthur this way, and he wanted it to be good.

“What do you want?”

Arthur went bright red, his eyes closing. “Everything,” he whispered.

“Are you sure?”

In answer, Arthur squeezed Merlin’s hand where it rested on his cock, and that’s all the urging Merlin needed. He turned his attention to the somewhat delicate task of getting Arthur’s jeans off without catching his erection in the zipper.

It was so worth it.

With his jeans and boxers down to his knees, Arthur’s cock jutted past his navel, thick, pink, and uncut, and below, two perfect balls, drawn up and covered with a dark blond hair. The whole package was perfection. “Holy shit,” Merlin said before he could stop himself.

“Uh.”  Arthur’s face flushed. “Is that a good thing?”

“That . . .” Merlin slid his fingers around the base, getting a sense of the girth. “Is a very. Very. Good thing. Jesus.” Arthur had to be nine inches, at least, and Merlin had never seen a cock that big in real life. His own dick was just over seven, and he’d never had any complaints before, but Arthur was a monster. _Morgana was right_ , Merlin thought, stopping the giggle before it escaped his lips and embarrassed Arthur. There was no way in hell he’d be able to get the entire thing in his mouth, but damned if he wasn’t going to try.

“Oh,” Arthur said, drawing out the sound when Merlin leaned down and nuzzled into his crotch, breathing the dark, musky smell. He kissed all around the coarse hair, licked the sensitive divot between the cock and the sack, and Arthur’s breath hitched.

“Wait a second. I think we need some tunes. Sorry, I don’t have any Dave Matthews.”

“It doesn’t matter. Whatever.” Arthur’s voice was strained, and Merlin gave his leg a squeeze. 

Merlin got up and selected a playlist he’d made for just such occasions. The first song was Metallica, a lighter song but still one of Merlin’s favorites. He smiled as the first guitar strains of “Nothing Else Matters” filled the room. Maybe Arthur would even like it.

When he turned back from his computer, Arthur had fully removed his jeans, and he was holding himself, whether out of nerves or horniness didn’t matter. It was hot.

“Let me do that,” Merlin said, kneeling in between Arthur’s parted thighs.

The erection was thick enough that Merlin’s fingers barely closed around it, and he allowed himself a brief moment of jealousy before licking a stripe up the prominent vein. How in the world a guy with a cock like this was a virgin was beyond him. It was a crime against nature to keep such a treasure hidden.

Arthur’s cock was messy and leaking at the slit, and Merlin licked at it, pressing back the foreskin and sliding his tongue around over the glans, gathering the bitter fluid on his tongue to slick the way back down. He kept at it like that for a bit, holding Arthur still with one hand, gently squeezing the base of his cock while he tongued the shaft, only sometimes stopping to suck the head into his mouth, knowing if he spent too much time there Arthur would lose it. His prick was dark red now, so full Merlin could feel it kick in his hand with every pulse.

“Please,” Arthur said, hands fisting at his sides. Merlin nodded and resumed his task with a bit more vigor, stroking Arthur’s cock, now slick with saliva and precome, taking it further into his mouth on each pass. The other boy was holding back, biting his lip, ass clenching as Merlin took him deeper, nearly gagged with only half inside. Fucking hell. His eyes watered and he pulled back, wiped his mouth.

“Sorry,” Arthur said. 

“It’s okay.” Merlin rubbed his own cock through his jeans with his free hand to relieve some of the pressure as he bent down again over Arthur’s erection and gave the slit a lick. He was going to come in his pants just from having Arthur in his mouth, and that was something that had never happened to him before. The room was filled with the squelching sound of his lips around Arthur’s wet cock and little grunts and whimpers coming from Arthur, who clearly wanted to fuck his mouth but didn’t know if he could. It was all so hot, and Merlin imagined himself in a different position, taking Arthur’s cock from behind, feeling it split him wide open. He worked Arthur like he couldn’t get enough, wanted to taste wanted . . . wanted . . .

Arthur grunted, tried to pull Merlin off, but Merlin shook his head, let Arthur paint the back of his throat while Merlin blew his load from the taste of Arthur’s come.

“Oh . . . oh . . .” Arthur murmured, shuddering through aftershocks as Merlin gave his prick a few more licks, then moved up the bed and collapsed next to Arthur, still fully clothed. He had the urge to keep touching, but knew Arthur was too sensitive. And what was wrong with him anyway; he’d just gotten off so why was he wondering how long it would take them to get hard again? Apparently he was a slut for Arthur’s cock.

Arthur turned and looked at him, unsure. “Are you . . ?”  His hand drifted down to Merlin’s softening erection.

“I’m good,” Merlin said. “But I really need to stop coming in my pants.”

For some reason this had them both laughing like idiots, arms around each other. Arthur kissed him with tongue, and then pulled back with a shocked expression.

“Yeah, it’s a little weird to taste yourself. You kinda get used to it.”

“You seem to have a lot of experience.”

“Not _that_ much,” Merlin said, feeling a bit awkward. Guys either liked that or hated it, and he wasn’t sure if it would matter to Arthur. It wasn’t like they were boyfriends or anything, so he shouldn’t be ashamed.

“It’s okay if you have,” Arthur said.

“Yeah, I know.”

They lay silently for a few minutes until Merlin excused himself to change; by the time he got back, Arthur was fully clothed and sitting on the bed.

“So,” Merlin said, sitting next to him.

“So. I guess I should probably get going.”

“All right.”

“I liked that song,” Arthur said, pulling on one of his shoes.

“Which one?”

“The first one. The slower one. You know, during . . .”

“ _That_ was Metallica.”

“It was?”

Merlin grinned and leapt off the bed. He looked around his desk and grabbed a blank CD, sliding it into the drive to burn Arthur a copy of the Black Album. When it was finished, he tossed it to Arthur, who had surprisingly good reflexes.

“Have a listen. Who knows, you might like it.”

“Yeah. Maybe I will. Thanks.” Arthur smiled, pausing by the door, and for a second Merlin considered asking him to stay for a while longer, until Arthur said, “See you, Merlin.”

“I’ll see you later, Arthur.”

 

›››››››››‹‹‹‹‹‹‹‹

 

Waiting for Monday sucked, especially since Merlin really did have a shitty lab report to work on and Balinor had come home early from his business trip for the two of them to spend time together on _the anniversary_. Neither of them talked about it. Instead, they spent Sunday fishing out at the lake house his parents had built when they were just married. House was an overstatement; it was more like a shack, and Merlin had made every protest he could think of not to go ( _it’s fucking freezing, Balinor, it’s November_ ). He’d finally given in when his father had promised to let him use the car again. And he’d actually ended up having a not-so-terrible time.

Still, Merlin couldn’t stop thinking about Arthur, wondering what he was doing over the weekend, whether he liked the CD Merlin had given him, if he’d want to do what they’d done again. He was being a pretty big girl, he knew, but he really couldn’t help it. There was something about Arthur—not just his cock, though that was undeniably awesome. So if Merlin’s heart beat a little more quickly as he made his way to English on Monday, and if his palms got a bit slick as he turned the door handle, and if his stomach clenched up tight when Arthur saw him and smiled, well, that was okay. No one else had to know, not even Arthur.

“Hey,” Merlin said, sliding into his seat.

“Hi,” Arthur said. He was still smiling, just the corner of his mouth upturned.

“Did you have a good weekend?”

“Yeah. Um. I mean, it was a little boring, but not bad. You?”

Merlin rolled his eyes. “Went fishing with my dad.”

Arthur snorted.

“What?”

“You. Fishing. I just can’t see it.”

“I can fish, I’ll have you know. I even caught one.” It was only a partial lie; Merlin had caught a trout, but it had been too small to eat and he’d thrown it back.

Arthur was still laughing. “Dressed like that?”

Merlin glanced down, took in his black jeans, combat boots, chains. “Of course not.”

“You mean you have regular clothes?”

Merlin glanced at Arthur’s hideous plaid/khaki combo. “Do you?” 

That question, meant as a joke, erased the smile from Arthur’s face, and Merlin felt it like a punch in the gut.

“Hey, I was just kidding.”

Arthur grinned again. “I know.”

Merlin had the strange urge to go over and fucking kiss him right then, but they were in public and Gaius was calling them into order. It would have to wait.

“So, ladies and gents, we’ll be working on group projects for the next couple of weeks. Each of you will work with a partner and pick a play to give an in-class presentation on . . .”

Gaius kept talking, but all Merlin could think about was how awesome it would be to have a legitimate excuse to make out with Arthur after school.

“ . . . so now you’ve a few minutes to select the person you’d like . . .”

“Merl! Hey Merls!”

When he turned around, he saw Elyan gesticulating wildly from a couple rows over. The rest of the class was already starting to pair up. “You wanna work together?”

Merlin waited a beat, hesitating, then shook his head. He pointed over his shoulder. “Sorry,” he mouthed.

Instead of protesting, Elyan just shrugged and turned to a girl on the other side of him, and Merlin turned back to Arthur. He was staring at the front of the class, shoulders hunching.

“Arthur,” Merlin said. “You wanna be my partner?”

Arthur turned to him and nodded, but he didn’t seem excited at the prospect. It made Merlin’s stupid heart sink. He was clearly an idiot. It wasn’t like he thought they were going out or anything, but he’d assumed Arthur would want to be his partner and didn’t understand what the fuck was going on. While the rest of the students made plans to meet outside of class, Arthur and Merlin just sat there, not looking at each other. By the end of the period, Merlin was pissed.

He picked up his bag and slung it over his shoulder, wanting to escape quickly. He didn’t get far, though, before Arthur was on his heels.

“What do you want?” Merlin snapped.

“You’re mad at me.”

“Aren’t you the goddamn genius?”

Merlin turned around when Arthur touched him; he pulled his arm back. “I’m sorry,” Arthur said. “That you have to be my partner. I know you’d probably rather work with your friend Elyan."

All of a sudden, it hit him. Merlin laughed. “You idiot, you think I asked you because I _have_ to?”

Arthur’s expression changed from contrite to confused. “Uh . . . yeah? Because you feel sorry for me.”

“That’s total bullshit.”

“It is?”

Sometimes Arthur Pendragon was the densest person on the fucking planet.

“Yeah, it is. I wanted to work with you . . .” Merlin trailed off. By now they were attracting a few interested stares, and so Merlin motioned with his head, urging Arthur to follow him to the same classroom where they’d hooked up that second time. The memory of that day came rushing back, distracting him. Now wasn’t the time for that, though.

“What I was trying to say,” Merlin continued, looking Arthur in the eye, “was that I wanted to work with you. Because . . . it would be cool to, you know, maybe see you outside of school.”

“It would?”

“God, why do you always get down on yourself like that? Yeah, Arthur,” Merlin said, advancing on him. “I’d like to suck your cock again, and you could even suck mine, and we could work on this stupid project and maybe we could even be friends. That is, unless you don’t want to and I’m just wasting my time.”

Somehow during his little diatribe Arthur had started smiling again. He stepped forward, and before Merlin knew what was happening he was being kissed, held by Arthur’s surprisingly strong arms. He must secretly work out, Merlin thought, because he didn’t get those defined muscles from reading. It confirmed Merlin’s suspicion that everyone from California was toned and hot, even the dorks. Everything that they’d been discussing forgotten, Merlin kissed him back, wishing Arthur would just shove him up against the wall and take what he wanted.

When they finally pulled away, swollen-mouthed and panting, Merlin smirked.

“So is that a _yes_?” he asked.

“Yeah, it’s a fucking yes.” Arthur whispered the swear, but it was a start.

“Okay. Just one test. Did you listen to the CD I gave you?”

“Yes.”

“And did you like it?”

Arthur raised his eyebrows. “I didn’t hate it.”

“That’s good enough for me.”

 

›››››››››‹‹‹‹‹‹‹‹

 

Things were different after that, but in a good way. During school hours, Merlin and Arthur were only friends—at least until no one was looking. When they had a moment between classes, they’d sneak into an empty room, meet in the janitor’s closet, sometimes even outside behind the bleachers during lunch. It was strange with Arthur. Usually once Merlin had hooked up with someone, he’d quickly lose interest, but no matter how many times they kissed, no matter how many times they got off with their hands down each others’ pants or with their cocks in each others’ mouths, Merlin couldn’t seem to stop wanting him. It was fucking scary as hell.

Arthur even started hanging out with Merlin and his friends. The first time he came along with them to Odyssey after school had been awkward. For some reason Merlin had finally given into Morgana’s prodding and told her—in the very vaguest terms—she’d been right about Arthur, and so she spent the entire time ogling his crotch. Merlin had to poke her several times to get her to stop, because there was no way she was getting her grubby, black-polished paws on his man, thank you very much. And had she ever heard of subtlety?

Though Arthur’d been quiet and a little nervous that day, soon he relaxed, and Arthur and Gwaine even became friends. They hung out when Merlin wasn’t around, which at first kind of pissed him off, but Gwaine was completely straight so he figured he didn’t have to worry, and Arthur seemed to like spending time with Merlin more, so it was all good. To give them credit, both Gwaine and Morgana did a good job keeping their mouths shut in school about the other, private side of Merlin and Arthur’s relationship. It didn’t much bother Merlin that what he had with Arthur was kind of a secret, but they’d never really talked about it. He figured Arthur would bring it up when he was ready.

Dating Arthur had added benefits. Merlin couldn’t be bothered to act out when the prospect of hanging out with Arthur was far more appealing, and so he did his best to stay out of detention. Arthur stopped oversleeping, Merlin suspected, for the same reason.

Then there was the English project. The first time Merlin met Arthur’s mom, Ygraine, was the weekend following the assignment. He went over to Arthur’s fucking huge house—the guy had an indoor pool, for God’s sake, and a bedroom that could fit three of Merlin’s—and was greeted at the door by a tall, slim blonde woman with Arthur’s blue eyes. She gave him a sincere smile and welcomed him without even glancing at his collar or his chains.

“It’s so nice to meet you, Merlin. Arthur’s told me so much about you.”

“Oh really?” Merlin turned to Arthur, whose face had gone a shade of tomato.

“ _Mom_ ,” Arthur said.

“Oh, he gets so embarrassed,” she said, smiling fondly at her son. “Go on now, boys. You help yourself to anything if you get hungry. Make sure you _feed him_ , Arthur.”

“ _Okay_ , Mom.”

“Thanks, Mrs. Pendragon.”

“Please, call me Ygraine.” Merlin had a feeling he was really going to like Arthur’s mom.

“That’s a beautiful name,” he told her, and she blushed prettily as Arthur.

“Oh, but Arthur, you didn’t tell me he was so charming.”

Arthur rolled his eyes and stomped upstairs, leaving Merlin behind.

“Seriously, Arthur, your mom is a MILF. If I wasn’t gay, I’d totally bone her,” Merlin teased once they were alone in Arthur’s room.

“I hate you so much,” Arthur said, tackling him to the floor. “You have no idea.”

From the erection poking into his side, Merlin thought he had _some_ idea.

That afternoon Arthur went down on Merlin for the first time. It was messy and definitely not the best blowjob Merlin had ever gotten, but it was also fuckawesome because it was Arthur, and he really did give it the old college try. Later, Merlin spread Arthur out on his giant bed—king sized, of course—and returned the favor, sucking him off slowly while he pressed a finger inside and Arthur writhed on his hand, eyes rolling back in his head when he came.

Arthur liked to leave marks, too, but he left them in secret places, biting into the flesh behind Merlin’s thigh and sucking there with sharp teeth, leaving bruises near his nipples and in the narrow space on his neck usually covered by his leather collar.

He learned how to touch Merlin, how to lick Merlin’s hole and massage his balls when they gathered up tight before he came. They’d done everything but the very final act, though they both knew it was only a question of when.

And while the physical stuff was awesome, it was more then that—even though they were opposites in so many ways, somehow they just worked. Merlin could tell Arthur all sorts of stupid personal shit and Arthur never laughed, never judged him. It seemed unbelievable they’d once been antagonists. 

Months passed. Merlin applied to colleges and got accepted at Penn State, which was only an hour away; the dilemma was he’d also gotten into Chicago, his top choice. Even though Merlin’s grades weren’t perfect—they’d slipped after his mom died—apparently his application letter had been good enough to get him in. But Arthur was here, and Merlin didn’t want have to drive thirteen hours or fly every time he wanted to see him (which was all the fucking time, really, who was he kidding). On top of that, Dr. Kilgharrah, the head of the Penn English program, was a colleague of Gaius’s, and supposedly chill. When Gaius told him they’d gone to Woodstock together, with a fond, faraway look in his eyes, Merlin had horrible visions of the two of them doing acid or ‘shrooms and running around naked in the mud.

He’d written his application letter about Arthur—well, not directly—but Arthur was there in every detail, in the new optimism he had about college and life. Maybe he sounded like a Hallmark greeting card, but it was true, so fuck it. Of course he never let Arthur read the thing, even though he’d been there while he wrote, glancing over his shoulder like the nosey, endearing bastard he was.

Merlin had written other things about Arthur, too, but none of those pieces were fit for human eyes, either. At least not yet. Maybe someday.

The day after Merlin received the acceptance to Penn was a Saturday. He sat on his front steps listening to music and waiting for Arthur, who’d spent the break visiting with his father in California and was due back that morning.

They hadn’t spoken much over spring vacation, and Merlin had missed him. From the very little Arthur had spoken about his father, Uther, Merlin knew they had a tense relationship. He suspected there was a lot he didn’t know, but he understood the need to keep some things private. Still, Arthur hadn’t been overly excited for the California trip, and Merlin had worried often throughout the week, wondering if he was okay.

Arthur was supposed to be by at two, but when two-thirty came and he still wasn’t there, Merlin called his cell.

“Where are you?” he asked when Arthur answered.

“Sorry, yeah. I’m running late. I’ll be there in a few.”

“Okay. But hurry,” Merlin said, heart picking up speed at the sound of Arthur’s voice. He’d clearly grown a vagina where Pendragon was concerned. “I . . . have something to tell you.”

“Yeah?” Arthur sounded nervous.

“It’s nothing bad. It’s good. I’ll see you in a minute.”

Arthur was later than a few minutes, but by now Merlin understood his problem with punctuality. When he pulled up in his mom’s Beemer, Merlin stood up and went to the street to greet him.

Arthur gave him a hesitant smile and waved. “Hey,” he said.

“Hey yourself.” Merlin knew Arthur wasn’t completely comfortable with public affection, so he waited until they were inside to press Arthur against the wall and kiss the hell out of him. Arthur’s lips were soft and his mouth tasted like stale coffee and sleep, but Merlin didn’t care. He licked into it, feeling calmer almost instantly, that is, until Merlin realized Arthur wasn’t really kissing him back. He pulled away, frowning.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” Arthur said. “Just tired. Long flight.”

“Mmm, all right.”

They got some drinks from the kitchen and went up to Merlin’s room.

“So did you have a good break?” Merlin asked, wondering why Arthur was being so strange, why he was sitting a couple feet away and not pressed right up against him like he usually was.

“It was okay. You?”

“Um, it was good.” He used the opportunity to pull out the letter he’d been dying to show Arthur and tossed it over.

“Got into Penn State. I’m gonna accept.”

Instead of looking thrilled that he’d be close by, Arthur frowned at the letter.

“I thought you wanted to go to Chicago?”

“Yeah, well. Penn has a good program, too. And it’s, you know, closer.”

Arthur was still staring at the print, reading it over. “But you got into Chicago. It was your top choice.”

“I know,” Merlin said, snatching the letter up. “But I changed my mind.”

“Is it because of me?” Arthur asked softly.

Merlin swallowed, not sure why his heart was hammering and he had the sudden urge to vomit.

“Yeah, well, you’re my . . .”

“I’m your what?”

“My boyfriend.” As soon as he said the word out loud, Merlin regretted it. He’d thought it a thousand times but they’d never said it; he’d just assumed, and now Arthur was staring at him, face pale.

“I can’t be that. I can’t, Merlin.” His voice sounded dead, merely a whisper.

“What do you mean?”

“This . . . I can’t . . . because . . . fuck, I’m not _supposed_ to be gay, dammit.” He stood and started pacing the room.

“What the hell are you talking about?” Merlin leapt up too, his heart in his throat. Something was very wrong, and it was starting to feel like this was a breakup and that was just not possible.

“This wasn’t supposed to happen.”

“What? Me and you? Being _gay_? It’s not a fucking choice!” Merlin had the strong desire to add _you were pretty sure you loved my cock in your mouth last week_ , but couldn’t get the words out, panicked at the way Arthur was edging closer to the door each second.

“I don’t know, maybe it is. I don’t know.” He was tugging at his hair, eyes looking like tears weren’t far off.

Rage like he’d never known rose in Merlin’s chest, seeing Arthur this way, not understanding what could have happened in the past week to change things between them.

“This is about your father, isn’t it?” he demanded, standing up and insinuating himself between Arthur and the door. He wasn’t going to let Arthur escape, not until he got answers that made sense. Not even then.

Arthur stopped moving, looked down at his feet.

“It is, isn’t it,” Merlin said, trying not to raise his voice, though his heart was racing. “What happened in California?”

When Arthur finally did raise his head, Merlin saw the anguish there.

“I never told you,” Arthur said. “Why I moved here in the first place. My dad . . . we got in a bad fight. He found some stuff on my computer. Some . . .”

“Porn?” Merlin ventured.

Arthur nodded, flushed. “It was kinda . . . a lot.”

“Okay. Uh, dudes?”

“Yeah.”

“Well he shouldn’t have been snooping around in your shit,” Merlin said, unable to help his indignation.

“There were some magazines, too. I . . .” Arthur pushed past him and threw himself down on the bed, curling up into a ball.

No longer concerned Arthur was a flight risk, Merlin went and sat down nearby, afraid to touch him.  

“God, it was so embarrassing, though. I wanted to die.”

“You’re a teenager, so the fuck _what_ if you have porn? You should see all the porn I have. Some freaky shit, too.” He waggled his eyebrows to lighten the mood.

Arthur rewarded him with a half-hearted smirk.

“But it _is_ a big deal. It was. To him, I mean. He said I could choose not to be gay, if I tried. Told my mother. Anyway, it was too weird living with him so I came here. We hardly even talked ‘til last week.”

“So what did he say to make you all crazy?”

Arthur regarded him with a neutral expression. “There are studies that have been done. They say you can go to therapy and get fixed.”

“You have to know that’s complete and utter bullshit!” The rage that had been brought to a simmer bubbled up again, and Merlin thought he really might punch something. Maybe Arthur. But Arthur was still talking, not responding to Merlin’s outburst.

“Maybe. I don’t know.”

“Oh God, Arthur, you know that’s all crazy conservative propaganda. You’re not stupid.” He could work with this; Arthur was a rational person, not a religious freak. This Merlin could handle. But he wasn’t prepared for the next words out of Arthur’s mouth.

“He said if I was strong enough I could overcome it. If I was man enough,” Arthur said, his voice barely audible. He was pale and looked about as sick as Merlin felt. “He set me up with a girl. One of his friends’ daughters. So I . . . I went out with her.

Merlin dug his fingers into his thighs, hard enough to bruise.  

“I . . . I kissed her.” Arthur’s face flushed with shame and he looked down at his hands. The stab of jealousy and betrayal knocked the breath out of Merlin. He turned away.

“Oh yeah,” Merlin said, unable to hide the bitterness in his tone, “And how’d that work for you?”

“It didn’t. It was a horrible mistake that lasted about a second. I could only think about you the whole time.” Arthur looked like he’d just killed a puppy, but it didn’t do much to make Merlin feel better.

Merlin sighed, decided right then he’d have to deal with that shit later. Right now he needed Arthur to know something.

“You are who you are, gay, straight, bi, whatever. It’s not something that needs to be fixed, and it doesn’t mean you’re not a man. That’s just fucked up. I mean, do you really believe that you could be _cured_?” It was difficult to hold back his anger, his disbelief.

“I don’t know.”

“When did you know you were gay?”

Arthur shrugged. “Since as long as I can remember.”

“Yeah, me too. Do you think there’s something wrong with me? Do you think I need to be cured?”

Arthur bit his lip. “No. Fuck, I know what you’re saying is right. You’re . . . you’re perfect.”

“Yeah. Well I think you’re pretty fucking perfect, too, except for the whole kissing some stupid girl.”

“I’m so sorry,” Arthur said, hanging his head.

“I don’t want to break up with you.” Merlin couldn’t stop himself from pleading, hoping he was getting through the bullshit Arthur’s father had planted in his brain. “You mean too much to me and I just . . . I care about you. Okay? And I know you feel the same. Unless, of course, you don’t.”  The last words hung in the air between them. Merlin held his breath.

“Merlin,” Arthur said, his voice soft. “That’s so stupid.” He reached for Merlin’s hand, and Merlin exhaled with relief when their fingers threaded together.

He hated that Arthur felt ashamed, that his father had done such a number on him. Merlin took a chance and leaned forward, pressing his lips to Arthur’s. Arthur responded immediately, bringing his other hand up to cup Merlin’s cheek.

Merlin kissed him again. “Don’t tell anyone. I have a reputation to uphold.”

“I wouldn’t dare.”

“So,” Merlin started, needing reassurance despite the fact it proved he was a complete and total loser. “Are we okay?”

“Yeah. We’re okay. I . . . didn’t really want to break up with you. I . . .”

“You what?” Merlin’s heart picked up a bit, thrumming against his ribcage, and oh God when had he fallen in love with Arthur?

“I’m glad you’re going to Penn. I didn’t want you to go to Chicago.”

“Good,” Merlin said, leaning forward and kissing him again. “I didn’t either.”

“Chicago sucks.”

“Big time,” Merlin agreed. “And you know what else sucks?” He grinned lasciviously.

“One track mind,” Arthur joked, but he was already lying down, pulling Merlin on top of him, and pressing hot kisses against his neck.

“Where you’re concerned, I’m afraid so.”

 

›››››››››‹‹‹‹‹‹‹‹

 

They didn’t go to the prom because Merlin insisted proms were lame. Instead they ate pizza and watched zombie movies at Morgana’s house with her and Gwaine—finally, for fuck’s sake, those two had gotten together—and Arthur and Merlin were an official couple, a disgusting couple (complained Morgana) who couldn’t keep their hands to themselves.

Arthur was a horror buff, and so was Merlin, and they cuddled on one end of the couch like idiots in love, Merlin picking all the pepperoni off Arthur’s slices when he wasn’t watching and getting tickled for it. It had been a severe blow to his pride, the day Arthur figured out Merlin’s sides were ticklish. Thankfully, Arthur’s feet were just as sensitive, so Merlin always had a perfect way to get him back. Except that Arthur _kicked_ when he was being tickled, and mostly it wasn’t worth the sore balls.

By the end of the second movie, Gwaine and Morgana were sucking face and groping each other, so Merlin and Arthur took the opportunity to get the hell out of there before they either lost their dinner or it became some sort of weird foursome. And in any case, Merlin had other plans.

“So,” Merlin said once they were outside. “Are you coming over?”

His dad was out of town and, cliché as it was, it was prom night, after all.

“Definitely yes,” Arthur said, looping his arm around Merlin’s waist as they walked. Sometimes Merlin missed Arthur’s old preppy clothes. He hadn’t exactly developed a keen sense of style, but he’d started wearing jeans that fit him and shirts that showed off his fine upper body. Merlin joked he wasn’t going to let Arthur dress like that once he moved for college, but Arthur had promised him he didn’t need to worry. He had no plans on dating anyone else because Merlin was his boyfriend and so he shouldn’t be so jealous. Penn State was only an hour away, after all. Merlin said he would leave his collar behind on Arthur’s neck just in case anyone needed a reminder.

Just thinking about leaving, about not being able to touch Arthur every day when he wanted to, had Merlin furiously horny. He scrabbled at Arthur’s belt once they were upstairs, palming his half-hard erection through his jeans, impatient.

“That feels good,” Arthur said, kissing him, his own hands roving around to squeeze Merlin’s ass.

Being naked with Arthur was all kinds of awesome. They fit together in so many ways, Arthur’s broad chest against his back, legs entwined, or lying face to face, kissing and grinding until they both came. Tonight, though, was different, and they both knew it; Arthur had avoided the beer Morgana had offered, wanting to stay level headed, but Merlin had had a couple to relax. He’d only been fucked once before, but he wanted to do it with Arthur, had dreamed about that thick cock moving inside of him.

They made out for a while on Merlin’s bed, fueled by awkward anticipation and nerves, until Merlin wriggled his hips, impatient.

“How should we do this?” Arthur asked, kneeling on the bed, cock in hand. He was stroking, watching as Merlin poured lube on his fingers to open himself up. They’d done that often enough, stretching him with three or four digits, sometimes using the dildo Merlin kept under his bed in his box o’porn.

“It’ll be better the first time if it’s from behind.”

“Right,” Arthur said, touching Merlin’s balls with his free hand, using one finger to tease the pucker between his legs.

Merlin squirmed into it, adding his own finger alongside Arthur’s.

“I want to see you, though,” Arthur said.

“We will. Next time.” Despite Merlin’s outward bravado, Arthur’s cock was daunting, and no doubt about it, it would hurt like a motherfucker. He didn’t want Arthur to see his face or else he’d never go through with it.

“Okay,” Arthur said. “We should probably get . . .”

“Condom,” Merlin said, grabbing one out from under his pillow.

“Aren’t you the prepared one?”

Merlin laughed, hoarse with desire as Arthur curled one, then two fingers inside, taking over while Merlin stroked himself to full hardness. He wanted to be close to coming when Arthur finally pushed inside.

“You’re so hot,” Arthur said, leaning down to kiss him, still fingering. “Tell me when you’re ready.”

Merlin closed his eyes as the sensations wash over him. His muscles felt loosened, relaxed from the beer. He pressed back against Arthur’s hand and rolled his hips, greedy for something larger.

“Now,” Merlin said, letting out a shaky exhale against Arthur’s lips.

“I’ll go slow. If I hurt you just stop me, okay?”

“I’ll be fine, Mom.” Merlin rolled his eyes, but all the same he was internally grateful for Arthur’s care.

He rolled over, placing a pillow under his hips, rutting into it while Arthur moved into place behind him, the sound of foil tearing both exhilarating and terrifying. Merlin willed himself to breathe deeply as Arthur massaged his ass with one hand, spreading him wide. And then he felt it, the blunt head of Arthur’s erection pushing against his hole. He tensed momentarily as it pressed inside. It stung, and Merlin squeezed his eyes shut.

“Oh . . . ohhh,” Arthur breathed out. “You’re so tight.”

“I’m not tight. You’re just fucking huge,” Merlin retorted, a nervous laugh bubbling out of his mouth.

Arthur seemed to feel him tense. He rubbed Merlin’s back, leaned forward and kissed his face.

“Do you want me to stop?”

“No. Just do it.”

Arthur leaned forward on his elbows and slipped further inside. The burn and stretch intensified, and Merlin grit his teeth, pushing to open himself up. Arthur was breathing heavily.

“Okay?”

“Yeah. More.”

With a couple more pushes, Merlin was breached, body pinned to the mattress; he’d never felt so completely opened and full. And it hurt, but Arthur stayed still as a fucking saint, panting in Merlin’s ear that it was so good, so good. Gradually, the pain lessened and Merlin felt his erection returning, stimulated by the way Arthur was groaning at his back, trying not to move despite how hard he was inside him. _Inside_ _him._

“I’m okay.” Merlin said. “More.”

It started slow with dragging strokes that stung a bit but then felt amazing, pushing against the right spot. Arthur stayed pressed along Merlin’s back working just his hips, which allowed Merlin to hump into the mattress with each stroke, feeling like his orgasm was being fucked out of him, that Arthur was taking care of him in a strange way. He urged him on, running one hand down to grab at Arthur’s thigh as Arthur rained snuffling kisses on whatever skin he could reach.

“Shit,” Arthur said. “I’m really close.”

“It’s okay,” Merlin said, because he was, too.

“Ah, shit.” Arthur swore, plunging deep, and then Merlin felt the pulse of Arthur’s cock as he came.

He gathered Merlin up in his arms, still inside of him, and rolled them to the side, and then Arthur and Merlin were both working his cock and he was shooting warm and wet onto the mattress and everywhere, making some kind of inhuman noise he’d probably regret later. 

Still trembling with aftershocks, Merlin winced as Arthur pulled himself free, left sore and vacant.

“I’m sorry I didn’t last.”

“Um . . . that was awesome so shut up,” Merlin said.

“Okay.” Arthur kissed him again, a slow, soppy kiss that made Merlin’s toes curl and his heart hammer.

He didn’t even have it in him to curse himself for going soft in the head.

“Can you stay the night?” he asked after they’d cleaned up and found their way under the covers, naked and tangled together.

“Yeah,” Arthur said. “And just think; when you’re away next year I’ll come for the whole weekend.”

“You better. And Philly has some pretty awesome death metal bands, so we’ll have plenty of concerts to see.”

“Oh I can hardly wait,” Arthur teased. He was still a fucking Dave Matthews fan, and there was nothing Merlin could do about it.

But that was okay. He wouldn’t have Arthur any other way.


End file.
